2014 Big Apple Baseball Is Live And Underperforming

Late last year Leaf purchased Famous Fabrics from In The Game, a move that has actually sat on the back burner since the purchase. Leaf announced that they would work in conjunction with Dr. Price to release the final Famous Fabrics product under the ITG label, 2014 Big Apple Baseball. The product was released the other day and sadly it is an underwhelming swan song for ITG.

 

Big Apple Baseball is a set that is designed around the New York City teams both past and present. Along with the Yankees and Mets you will also find Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants. The set is a limited release, only 2,000 boxes were printed, and it is made up of memorabilia cards #/50 or less, cut signature cards 1/1 and sketch cards 1/1. Each box runs @$125 and contains a 1/1 Cut Signature card along with either a sketch or memorabilia card. There are different memorabilia cards with single relics, dual relics, quad relics, Retired Numbers, MVP and Enshrined.

 

The checklist includes, in various forms, Ruth, Gehrig, Jeter, Campanella, Robinson, Ott, Mariano Rivera, Gary Carter, Reggie Jackson and more so the checklist is not the problem, what is the problem is that the designs are very generic. The sketch cards are unique and look quite cool but the rest is just lackadaisical. When I had heard about this product last year I was expecting something better, this just is not what you would expect from ITG.

 

This was a missed opportunity, even if you have never been a fan of the New York teams you will still have a favorite somewhere along the line.  Prices seem pretty low and there does not seem to be a lot of activity, I don’t know if this is what we can expect as the product ages and more of the bigger named player’s cards get pulled.

Here are some examples from current auctions:

ITG Decades The 90s Is On The Way

When it comes to hockey cards In The Game is the best, even without an NHL license they still lead the pack. Awesome designs, hard signed autographs with amazing checklists, real game-used relics (no “event used” here) and killer relics are what keeps them head and shoulders above the rest.

 

Another aspect that draws in the hockey collectors is their ability to build a set around a theme and own it. Over the years we have seen sets dedicated to goalies, captains, cities and Olympic teams but one of the more popular sets are the “Decades” sets, which are designed around specific decades. This week we see “Decades the 90s” hit the shelves.

 

I am a lifelong Islanders fan but I didn’t start collecting hockey cards until I returned to collecting in the early 90s so this set is right up my alley. Some of the best played during the decade like Gretzky, Messier, Hull, Chelios, Roy, Lemieux, Bure, CuJo and Lindros and I collected most of them with LaFontaine, Richter and Messier being my favorites.

 

Each box of Decades The 90s, which will run $90-100, will contain 14 cards; 6 Base cards, 3 Hard Signed cards, 3 Game-used Memorabilia cards (1 will be a quad-relic card) and 2 insert cards.

 

Base Cards

 

Insert

 

Autographs 

 

Relics

 

Mega Forwards/Mega Goalies Patches

Follow Up: In The Game Superlative Hockey Volume III

The Toronto Fall Expo is scheduled to begin November 9^th at the Toronto International Centre and one thing that is certain is that there will be plenty of hockey cards. Even with the possibility of the NHL season being cancelled (or best case scenario, half a season) hockey cards are still making their way on to the shelves. In The Game is set to release Superlative Hockey Volume III in time for the Fall Expo.

 

In The Game has updated some of the information regarding the product since I last reviewed it in early September. It appears that they have increased production from the original 1,500 Books (the boxes are in the shape of a book) to 2,500 Books and the SRP is now $350/book instead of the initial $500/book.

 

On top of the updated information they have also released a number of new pictures from the Skate Lace and Superlative Patch inserts. The Skate Laces insert looks like it would be a pretty cool card to pull. I do not know if he is included but I wouldn't mind seeing a Mike Bossy Skate Lace card on the checklist.

 

Preview: In The Game Superlative Hockey Volume III

Hockey collectors have a world of their own in the collecting world. Many non-hockey collectors can name rookies and top players from other sports even if they do not collect that specific sport but when it comes to hockey they are at a loss to name a player outside of Gretzky, Lemieux, Howe or maybe Crosby. The sad thing is that these people who ignore hockey releases are missing out; year after year we see some amazing hockey sets released. In The Game is one of those companies that deliver a solid product with each release plus they cater to collectors with specialized releases like Enforcers, Between the Pipes and Forever Rivals.

 

An upcoming ITG release that will surely get noticed is Superlative Hockey Volume III. With a production limit of 1,500 books it is quite possible to see this release sell out like the previous two volumes. Instead of boxes ITG uses a book for pack out with each book containing 7 cards and a $500 price tag is expected. Here is an example of an open book/box from a Volume I- Maple Leafs set from 2008.

 

Each book of Superlative Hockey Volume III contains seven cards:
• One Game-Used Jersey Card
• One Autograph Card or Auto Plus Card
• One Superlative Prospect Autograph or Prospect Auto Plus Card
• One Superlative Patch Card
• One Auto Jersey Card or Auto Plus Card
• One Famous Fabrics Card
• One Special Insert Card

 

It is worth pointing out that all autographs are either cut signatures (from people who have passed away) or hard-signed, no sticker autographs were used. All cards are packed out, there are no redemptions. All of the memorabilia relics are game used, these are not special event or draft night relics. Every relic you pull saw time on the ice in a pro or international game. Finally, there are quite a few 1/1 in the product